Suki Yuki
by Sheen Shan
Summary: To inherit the family fortune Soujirou has to marry a decent girl by the end of the year.The orphanage Yuki runs is in danger of closing down due to lack of funds.Deciding that both have something to gain,he convinces Yuki to marry him out of convenience
1. A visit from an old friend

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Author's note: **This story was something I came up with while in the shower, it's a pretty weird concept so I'm not quite sure how it'll go but I hope you read it anyway…

**Chapter 1**

Despite the fact that Nishikado Soujirou was twenty six years old, he was being treated like a kid at the moment and oh how he loathed it. Whenever he was in his grandfather's presence, he had always felt like a child. It was probably due to the fact that his grandfather was just so damn domineering and always had to act like the bloody alpha male. It pissed Soujiroh off to no end and yet there was not a damned thing he could do about it. For the hundredth time that day he mentally cursed the old man seated before him. He shouldn't have to kneel like a beggar before the old man but since his mother had requested, no, begged him to; he had agreed. The reason why he was groveling like a pathetic commoner before his grandfather was due to the immense stupidity of his recently deceased father. Some how, his father had done the unthinkable; he had gambled away much of the fortune that he'd built due to poor investments, leaving the family with one eighth of what they would have had otherwise. If that hadn't been enough, his stupid bastard of a father had been brain damaged enough as to drive home one night after drinking his weight in alcohol. On his way home Ken Nishikado had crashed into a tree. It wasn't actually clear how he'd managed to crash into a tree that was about fifty meters off the road, but that fact that he was dead still remained.

When they'd gotten the call about his death, his mother had been the only one to burst into tears. She had cried for a week but when the funeral ended she hadn't shed a single tear again. She had realized that it was inevitable, her husband was gone and there was nothing in this world that could bring him back. Neither Soujirou nor his younger brother Shin had shed a tear over their father's death. After all you couldn't miss what you never had in the first place. To be honest, Ken Nishikado could hardly be considered a father. He never spent time with his children, preferring to enjoy the company of the hostesses at clubs. He was sure his mother wasn't stupid; she had to have known that her husband had other women on the side but even if she did, she acted like she didn't. She was brought up during the era when women were groomed to become the ever willing, ever complying wives to their husbands and she had been exactly that to his father. Sometimes Soujirou wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up, this wasn't the sixties.

Soujirou was sure that over time, he could have helped build up the family fortune back to its impressive amount. But his younger brother Shin was supposed to be sent to Oxford to study and that kind of education wouldn't come cheap. Plus, he had to pay for the last year of his insanely expensive business degree at Eitoku. He'd never had to worry about these kinds of things before but now that they didn't have half the money that they had originally, it was a concern. And if that wasn't all, he had to run a household and manage the family businesses as well. As much as it pained him to admit it, he needed the old fool's help.

"So boy, your mother tells me of the situation" his grandfather remarked. Soujirou nodded, unsure of what to say next. "I should never have given that blasted son of mine any control over the companies in the first place. What a wretched fool he was to have squandered away the money like that".

That seemed to be the only thing that Soujirou agreed with his grandfather on. His father was an idiot. No questions asked. But Soujirou had already known that, he didn't need his grandfather to tell him. Why was he even here?

"My days are numbered" his grandfather said gruffly "and although I was going to leave the fortune to your father, his death had made me realize that I would have been an even bigger fool to have done that".

"Father" his mother said slowly as she stared at her father in law.

"I have decided Keiko, that as your father in law and as a grandfather, I have a duty to do to you and your sons" Soujirou's grandfather said.

"Grandfather, what are you saying?" Soujirou asked.

"I have decided to leave everything to you" his grandfather said and Soujirou felt as though his heart would sing. His grandfather Takeshi Nishikado's fortune was easily three times the size of his family's own fortune before their father had depleted it. His grandfather was an excellent businessman. Although he never spoke of his businesses, Soujirou had heard rumors that his grandfather had invested in properties all over the world and kept most of his money in overseas banks. Although that wasn't all, his grandfather was a shrewd businessman and every business deal was considered to be a battle. He was known internationally for his business dealings. Apparently Takeshi Nishikado's fortune was in the billions, in American dollars mind you. It was a mystery how anyone could attain that amount of money but nevertheless Takeshi Nishikado had achieved it and now that vast fortune was being left to Soujirou.

"Grandfather…" he said unsure of what to say next.

"But"- Takeshi Nishikado said interrupting.

Soujirou and something clenched at the young man's heart. _But? But what??_ He thought mentally.

"I have one condition and just one simple condition" Takeshi said and Soujirou looked at him willing him to go continue. "You must get married by the end of this year" he finished. "If you do manage to get married by the end of this year, I shall transfer the entire Nishikado fortune to you as soon as you've married your bride".

A dead silence followed Takeshi's words and Soujirou kept processing the words in his head over and over again. _I must get married by the end of this year?? He's crazy! The old fool has lost his bloody mind!_

"Fuck you!" Soujirou exclaimed suddenly causing his mother to gasp and his grandfather to look at him with amusement.

"Soujirou!" his mother gasped in shock.

"I beg your pardon?" His grandfather asked casually as he took a sip of whiskey, although his eyes were dancing with mirth.

"You want me to get married by the end of this year?? Are you fucking insane?" he burst out.

"No I'm not 'fucking' insane as you put it. Why not? It's only January and you have plenty of time left. I give you two choices, you can choose to have an arranged marriage or you can marry someone of your own choice. I'll leave it to you" his grandfather replied coolly, unfazed by Soujirou's vulgarity.

Soujirou thought for a while. Well there was no way that he was going to have an arranged marriage. He wasn't prepared to marry someone he didn't know. He was principally against arranged marriages. He didn't like the idea of his mother and grandfather choosing a bride for him. And as for deciding on someone of his choice, well that was going to be easy. All he had to do was go to a club and-

"And none of those whores that you usually bed" Takeshi added sternly and Soujirou felt his plan fall out the window. Now that was going to be a problem. If he couldn't get one of his usual girls, then who was he going to get? "I want you to marry someone who's decent, a nice girl that I can be proud of. I want her to be someone who will wear the Nishikado name with honor and I want to be proud to introduce her as my grand daughter in law" he finished and Soujirou crossed off the list of women he had made in his mind, one by one.

Actually now that he thought of it, he didn't know many decent women at all. Apart from Tsukushi, there weren't any decent women that he kept in contact with. Tsukushi was pretty much out of the question, since she was married to Tsukasa and about to have a child. He was pretty much doomed anyway. Despite him knowing a limitless number of girls, there were none that were worthy of being the grand daughter in law of Takeshi Nishikado.

* * *

Yuki looked out the window feeling a sense of unsettling despair wash over her. She loved those children like they were her own and now, there was nothing that she could do to help them.

"Yuki-chan" Erika called running into Yuki's office.

"Erika-chan?" Yuki asked when she noticed the panicked expression on Yuki's face.

"Yuki-chan, please pick up the phone, the bank is on the line" she said.

Yuki didn't bother replying but merely walked over to her desk to pick up her phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"Yuki-san? This is Taro Nakamura from the united bank. Unfortunately if we don't get a payment of ten million yen from the orphanage within two months, we will have to close it down" he said.

"Please Nakamura-san, these children have no where to go. This is the only place that they have. You can't do this to them. Please Nakamura-san" she pleaded but to no avail.

"I'm sorry Yuki-san, there is nothing that I can do" he replied and with a click, she heard the dial tone.

"What do we do Yuki-chan?" Erika asked as Yuki dropped into a chair, her face crumpling with misery.

"I have no idea Erika-chan" she replied truthfully and Erika looked thoughtful. "I really have no idea" she replied.

"Why don't you ask your friend, Domyouji-san?" Erika asked. "I'm sure they can give you that money without depleting their vast amount of money".

"I don't really want to bother Tsukushi now, especially with her baby on the way. Plus the Domyouji family has already donated more than enough money to the orphanage. They were the ones who helped me start it".

"What about Hanazawa Rui or Mimasaka Akira? Or Nishikado Soujirou, they're the F4 right? You know them don't you? Have you thought about asking them? If they're your friends then surely they'll give the money to you" Erika suggested.

"Well it's not that simple Erika-chan" Yuki replied. "Hanazawa Rui is in Europe somewhere and I only see him when he comes down during the holidays. Mimasaka Akira has already funded enough of money into the orphanage that it would be rude for me to ask for more and I haven't seen Nishikado Soujirou in five years".

What she had said was mostly true. Rui really was in Europe but she knew how to contact him. She just didn't want to ask him for money. She didn't think it was proper. He had helped her out with the starting of the orphanage along with Akira and Tsukasa. So she didn't think it was fair to burden him with what was her problem besides, she wasn't as close to him as she was to Akira and Tsukasa. Akira on the other hand, she had been in touch with. They had been dating at one point, until he decided to split up with her due to his line of work. He didn't want to put her in any danger. In fact although they broke up, he still met up with her often, going out for dinner and whatnot. As for Soujirou, she hadn't spoken to him in five years. Not since Tsukushi's wedding reception where she'd accidentally walked into one of the rooms, only to find him having sex with Sanjo Sakurako. She had left without making her presence known to the pair.

That seemed to be the turning point in her life; she had decided then and there, that she would forget Nishikado Soujirou no matter what. She was a fool and she hadn't realized it till then. What was she wasting her time and effort for someone who didn't even harbor the slightest bit of feelings for her? It was only after going a year without seeing him that she'd managed to forget him. A little while after that that she'd bumped into Akira by chance and they'd had lunch to catch up. The lunch tuned into lunches, followed by dinners, then movies and along the way they'd begun dating. It seemed to be a natural progression. Even though she'd thought that Akira preferred older women, he seemed to enjoy her company. They had been dating for two years when Akira's father had been killed due to his work. It was then that Akira had broken up with her, for her own safety. He was afraid that whoever targeted his father might decide to target his family. Since Akira was next in line to take over business, everyone close to him was in danger and Yuki had been the closest to him at that point in time.

"Well then, what are we going to do? If we don't get the money for the orphanage, it will close down and what's going to happen to the children?" Erika asked Yuki.

"What about your brothers?" Erika asked. Both her brothers were older than her by ten years or more and had families of their own. It wouldn't be right to ask them for money when they had their own mouths to feed.

"You know I can't ask them Erika-chan, besides my brother has already helped us by putting an article about the orphanage in the paper". She had requested a favor from Ken, her elder brother, who was an editor for the local times, to put in an article. "Don't worry Erika-chan, I'll think of something. I'll get the money somehow" Yuki said.

* * *

Soujirou walked out of the double doors of his grandfather's mansion with his mother to find a car waiting for them.

"Madam your paper" the chauffer said as he handed her the day's paper.

Soujirou got into the car after his mother and fell into silence as soon as the car began to move. His mother was silent beside him, reading the newspapers. Overall the atmosphere was quiet and calming, with the occasional rustling of paper.

"Jirou" his mother said suddenly "we should be thankful with what we have ne?"

"Eh?"

"Look here, this poor orphanage is going to close down. If we had more money, we could help them ne? I can only imagine the anguish that the people running the orphanage must be feeling" she said with a sigh as she handed him the article to have a look. He scanned the article briefly; he wasn't really interested in that sort of thing. It wasn't any of his business. He was about to close the paper when a particular name caught his eye. Closing the paper, he smiled to himself. _Perhaps there's a way to make this easier_ he said to himself with a smirk. Maybe it was time that he caught up with an old friend.

* * *

After Erika had left the room, Yuki had begun to pace up and down the room. She would find a way eventually to help those children. She'd been pacing for about twenty minutes and her feet were hurting from the constant pacing in her heels when Erika rushed in again.

"Sorry to bother you Yuki-chan but you have a visitor" she said excitedly and Yuki wondered who would possibly want to visit her.

"Sure, let him in" Yuki replied.

Erika bowed and left the room, looking like Christmas had come early. It wasn't long before a man came into view. He was wearing an Italian suit and he carried a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand.

"Yuki-chan" he greeted with a smile on his face.

"Akira-san?" she asked and he only smiled broader.

"For you" he said handing her the bouquet.

"Thank you" she replied "I can't believe that you remembered that sunflowers are my favorite flowers".

"Of course I remembered" he exclaimed. "Do I get a hug for remembering?" he asked and she grinned.

"Sure" she said moving over to hug him.

"I missed you" he exclaimed burying his nose in his hair.

"Akira-san, how come you're back so soon?" Yuki asked when he'd pulled away.

"I had some time off so I thought I might see you" he replied "what time do you get off work? I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me".

"I've actually just finished work but I just wanted to finish up some extra work. We can leave in five minutes if it's ok?"

"Sure" he replied "I'll just wait here until you finish". He flopped into a chair and crossed his legs watching her as she packed up her things.

* * *

Yuki stood at the door of her apartment building and waved as Akira's car drove away. She felt a strange sense of calm as she walked up the steps to her second floor apartment. She could have taken the elevator but she didn't see the point. As she walked up the stairs, she thought of how Akira always seemed to have a calming effect on her. He always made her feel that things would turn out alright in the end.

She turned the key in the lock and went into her apartment feeling happier than she had felt in days. Just as she was about the turn on the lights to her apartment, she felt a set of eyes bore into the back of her head. Turing around she froze as she saw a silhouette seated on her couch, illuminated by moonlight coming from a window.

"Okaeri Yuki-chan" came the smooth drawl that made Yuki's blood turn to ice.

Even though she couldn't see his face, even though she hadn't heard that voice in five years, there was no mistaking it. It had to be him.

* * *

**Author's note**: This was just a little something that I thought off a little while ago. It's based upon an Indian movie. I hope you like it!


	2. The proposal

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Chapter 2**

Yuki stared as Soujirou prowled towards her. She'd seen the same movements on Animal planet whenever a predator stalked its prey and in this case, she was the prey. His lips were curled into a smirk and she almost breathed a sigh of relief when he stopped a little distance from her.

"It's been a long time ne Yuki-chan?" he asked, his voice enticingly velvety smooth. She gulped trying to find her nerves that she'd somehow lost in the last couple of minutes.

"What are you doing here Nishikado-san?" she asked as her eyes narrowed.

"Me? Well I just want to spend time with my favorite girl" he replied as he examined a photo frame on her mantle piece.

"Don't tease me Nishikado-san" she said firmly and she thought she saw his eyes flicker in surprise. She was not the same girl that she'd been five years ago. In that time, she'd had to grow up. She had an orphanage to run, problems to deal with and her love for him to forget.

"I'm not teasing you Yuki-chan, you are my favorite girl" he said with such seriousness that she was almost fooled. Almost.

"I bet you say that to all the girls you meet" she replied with a sardonic laugh, turning around to switch on the lights.

"I don't" he replied from behind her and she whirled around to find him mere inches from her.

"Y-yes you do" she replied trying to sound firm. The light had revealed what the darkness had not and she found herself staring at him, transfixed. His features were sharper than she remembered and he looked more mature than before. His clothes, as always, looked to be made especially for him. His all black ensemble with a checkered black and white scarf around his neck seemed to bring out his pale skin. She seemed to be immobilized for a moment, until he took a step towards her. Panicking she took a step back and then a few more until she was backed up against her front door.

"How I missed you Yuki-chan" he said huskily and she blinked rapidly at him. _Don't get caught by it Yuki, it's a trap!_ She warned herself as he placed a palm on the wall above her left shoulder. He was now closer to her than he'd been and she forced herself to be calm. Otherwise she would have run screaming from the room at the amount of attention he was showering on her.

"What do you want?" she asked and again his eyes flickered in surprise but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"What makes you think I want something Yuki-chan?" he drawled, "Maybe I just want to spend time with you?"

"Bullshit" she exclaimed and tried to move away from him but he pressed himself closer to her. "Come to think of it, you only come to me when you need something; a shopping companion, a listening ear, someone to fawn all over you….oh the list goes on Nishikado-san" she said, her eyes flashing.

There was no way that Soujirou was there simply because he wanted to be. Yuki was sure that he had some kind of ulterior motive but whatever it was, she was not going to give in. She had always been giving in to him and it was time that she stopped. In the five years that had come to past, she had learned that it was a dog eat dog world out there and to survive you had to be strong. She doubted that the orphanage would have remained standing up till now if she had been weak willed. The old Matsuoka Yuki was dead and in her place, a firmer, stronger, more determined Yuki emerged.

* * *

What the hell was happening? Did hell decide to play a cruel joke on him? Maybe he was on some television show that played pranks on people and he just happened to be the unlucky victim. Or worse, maybe Yuki was possessed? _Now that's just being ridiculous_ Soujirou chided himself but whatever it was, Yuki wasn't supposed to be acting like this. He hadn't seen her like this since the first time he'd met her, back when Tsukasa had first been infatuated with Tsukushi. This was going to be hard for him, if she'd reverted back to the Yuki that he'd first met. He'd already said the first time he met her that he wasn't good with girls like her and indeed he wasn't.

In all honesty, Soujirou had expected Yuki to fawn all over him like she had before but there was something about her that had changed in the five years that he had been absent from her life. She had matured nicely from a giggling girl to a young woman. She was wearing a black knee length skirt and a silky deep purple blouse. She looked like she had just come back from work. Her character transformation made his mission a lot harder, he'd gone to visit her under the impression that she was still deeply infatuated with him but now that she didn't appear to have any feelings for him whatsoever, he would need a different plan of attack. Although Soujirou had to admit; as he took in the way her chest heaved and her face flushed with anger, he was pretty turned on right now.

* * *

"I merely have a proposition" Soujirou said his voice low and husky, as he continued to stand there with her backed up against the wall.

"What proposition?" she asked and gasped when he suddenly buried his face in her neck, placing hot, wet kisses on it. There was something so magical about his touch that immobilized her.

"It simple" he said between kisses as his lips trailed up her neck to her jaw. His hands began to move; resting on her hips, pulling her closer to him. Her mind went black only focusing on the feel of his lips against her skin. His hands moved to rest on her waist, tracing burning circles through the fabric of her silk blouse. She bit her lip to keep herself from moaning out aloud. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her like this.

"What proposition?" she asked again although it came out more as a breathless whisper.

He didn't answer her but continued to ravage her neck. She was sure there would be marks in the morning but that seemed of little importance at the moment in comparison to what he was doing. She was sure she was going weak at the knees and it wouldn't be long till they gave way. He suckled a patch of skin along her collar bone and she gasped, arching her back. His hands were moving under her shirt, scorching the area above her tail bone.

"Marry me Yuki" he said in that husky, erotic voice of his. "Marry me".

"Yes" she gasped as his lips found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. With a smirk, he pulled away from her and her eyes widened in the sudden realization of what she had just agreed to. "What? No! I mean, No! No! No! I can't marry you!" she burst out.

"Why not?" he asked simply as he walked towards her couch and sat down, crossing one of his long legs over the other.

"What do you mean why not?" she exclaimed exasperatedly "you don't love me and I don't love you! That should be one of the most obvious reasons!"

"Is that all?" he asked as he picked up the newspapers that lay on her coffee table.

"You're despicable Nishikado-san!" she cried throwing her hands in the air to emphasize her point.

"I'm not Yuki-chan, I just need to get married that's all" he replied as he flipped open the newspapers.

"I'm sure if you really want to get married Nishikado-san, one of the whores that you go around with will be more than happy to be your wife" she snapped.

"Unfortunately my grandfather doesn't approve of whores" he replied coolly.

"Grandfather?" she asked as she opened her fridge, pulling out a bottle of water for herself.

"Yes, before my father died, he gambled away most of our fortune. My grandfather is willing to pass over his entire fortune to me but for that to happen, I have to be married by the end of this year".

"So all this is about money?" she asked incredulously and he nodded.

"Yeah pretty much" came the reply. "So marry me?"

"You self centered bastard!" she yelled "if you think I'm going to marry you now especially after knowing that everything was for money, then you're seriously mistaken".

"But Yuki-chan" he drawled. "What about your precious children?" he asked.

"Eh?"

"Your orphanage needs money doesn't it?" he asked, pointing to the article in the papers. "Maybe I can help".

"How?" she asked although that seemed like a stupid question for her to ask.

"I need a bride and you need money right? So how about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" she asked as her curiosity got the better of her.

"If you marry me, I'll give you the money that your orphanage needs" he proposed and her eyes widened. "Besides we only have to stay married for about a year, then we can get a divorce, it's so simple".

_This is a definite way to help out the kids_ she thought to herself as she paced up and down the room. _The money is practically being handed to me; all I have to do it take it! Of course there is the little matter of getting married but I think I can handle it, right? After all, if I focus on the good that I'm doing then me being married to him shouldn't bother me so much. Besides in a way I won't feel so guilty taking his money because I'm doing something in return for him._

"Ok" she said with some finality, having thoroughly weighed the pros and cons in her head. "I've come to a decision, I'll marry you".

"I knew we'd see eye to eye eventually Yuki-chan" he remarked. "As soon as we get engaged I'll transfer ten million into your account.

"Twenty million" she said firmly.

"What? Fifteen million" he bargained.

"Eighteen million take it or leave it". She stood firm on her offer. If she was going to do this for money then she'd better milk it for all it was worth. After all, the extra eight million could be used to build a new wing for the orphanage.

"Fine" he replied sourly "eighteen million it is". Then pulling out a sheet of paper from his pocket, he presented it to her to read.

"What's this?" she asked as she stared at it.

"It's a contract; stating our terms of agreement" he replied, "have a look at it. Is there anything that you want changed in there?"

She scanned over it briefly "I want to have separate rooms" she said.

"Separate rooms? Are you sure?" he asked raising his eyebrow suggestively.

"Yes I'm sure" she replied firmly but if he had kept asking, her nerves might fail her and she might just take back her request. "Also, the amount has to be changed to eighteen million".

"Fine, I'll do it right away and bring it to you soon" he replied as he stalked past herm towards the front door. When he reached it, he turned back to look at her. "Pleasure doing business with you Yuki-chan" he said before shutting the door behind him.

When Soujirou had left, Yuki sank to the floor with her back against her front door. What had she done? It was highly possible that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.

* * *

Takeshi Nishikado sat on his favorite armchair in his study, smoking a pipe and drinking brandy. He was in a pleasant mood. Either way, it was a win-win situation for him. He wasn't stupid. He knew of his grandson's nocturnal activities. Didn't everyone? If womanizing had been a competition, Soujirou would have won hands down. But despite knowing of his grandson's bad habits, Takeshi couldn't help but notice the bright spirit within Soujirou, or his loyalty to his friends, or even the fact that he was taking responsibility of the family and its businesses despite still being in University. He remembered when his useless son, Ken, had told him that Soujirou had put his degree on hold because he wanted to promote tea ceremonies. Takeshi had felt so proud of Soujirou, although the boy seemed to be like his father, it was clear that Ken and Soujirou were not alike at all. Although upon Takeshi's insistence, Ken had forced Soujirou to finish his business degree. He would have to take charge of the family's businesses and what better way to get prepared than with a business degree. Takeshi only had two grandchildren. Soujirou and his younger brother Shin.

Takeshi hadn't been close to his grandchildren but that didn't mean that he didn't care about them. In fact the reason why he was doing all this, forcing Soujirou to get married, was for the boy's own good. After all, Soujirou was just displaying the same behavior as Takeshi had when he had been Soujirou's age. Marriage changed men, that's what Takeshi thought and he knew that if Soujirou only got married to the right woman, he would change. He knew that Soujirou didn't know any decent women, which was why this task would be hard for him He also knew that Soujirou wouldn't opt for an arranged marriage. The boy had too much pride in him. He wouldn't be happy if someone else chose his future for him. Takeshi had been the same.

"Nishikado-sama" his butler said interrupting his train of thought. "Micah-san is here to see you".

"Ah Micah, send him in" Takeshi said straightening up in his chair.

"Nishikado-san" a rough looking man greeted as he entered the room.

"Micah, have a seat" Takeshi called gesturing to the armoire in front of him.

"Its ok Nishikado-san, I prefer to stand if it's ok with you" he replied.

"Micah, always so formal!" Takeshi boomed.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, I want you to follow my wretched grandson Soujirou around; I want you to see what he's up to" Takeshi said taking a hearty swig of his brandy.

"Sure Nishikado-san, I'll follow him like his shadow" Micah replied dutifully.

"You're a good man Micah, I know I can count on you" Takeshi said gulping down the contents of his glass.

"Forgive me for asking Nishikado-san but why do you want me to follow young master Nishikado around?"

"I don't want to be taken for a fool Micah, he's a shrewd boy that one and I'm willing to bet my entire fortune that he's got some tricks up his sleeve. I just want to be ready for them" he replied. "I don't want him to hang around that Nakata Reiko. I don't want him to be near her. Her family is a disgrace, they've been doing under the table dealings and i don't want him to get mixed up with the likes of her".

* * *

It had been almost a week since Soujirou had first visited Yuki. It was a Friday night and she was relaxing. She had had a hard day of work and she had decided to curl up with her favorite book and a mug of coffee. Akira had dropped by that evening with food and they'd had a nice quiet dinner. He had seen the article in the papers and he's lectured her for not telling him that the orphanage was in a financial crisis. She'd assured him that she had already received the funds needed and that he didn't need to worry. Oh Akira. Her heart ached when she thought of him. She had loved him and she knew he still had some feelings for her. They had been ready to get married at one point. She wondered how he would feel if he found out that she and Soujirou had made this arrangement.

She wondered briefly if Soujirou knew that she had been dating Akira. He had to have known right? Or perhaps he didn't, that would be a reason why he had asked her to marry him. Or could it be that he did know that she had been dating Akira but he decided to ask her to marry him anyway just to spite his best friend? No, that was definitely not it. Her head was swimming of a thousand different possibilities at the moment and all of them portrayed Soujirou negatively.

"I being stupid" she exclaimed suddenly throwing her book down. "What's wrong with me?" She jumped slightly when her phone rang.

"Moshi, moshi" she answered.

"Yuki?"

"Oh Tsukushi, is everything ok?" Yuki asked.

"I should be asking you that?" Tsukushi replied. "Domyouji was very concerned about you when he heard about the orphanage's situation".

"Oh don't worry about it" she replied "people have been a lot more generous since seeing the article and the funds have been rolling in". Her stomach clenched, she felt bad lying to her best friend but it had to be done. She had told Akira the same time. She didn't want any of them to know of her arrangement with Soujirou. What would they think of her? By marrying Soujirou for money, she was no less than a whore.

"Well ok" Tsukushi replied "but if you ever need the money Yuki, don't be ashamed to ask us ok?"

"Sure Tsukushi" Yuki replied.

"Right then, I'd better go, we'll catch up soon yes?" Tsukushi asked.

"Sure give me a call" Yuki replied and with that she hung up.

* * *

"So you're really going to marry her?"

"Yes" Soujirou replied staring blankly at the ceiling of Reiko's lavish room. Usually, he felt hyped up after having sex with Reiko. He was always ready to go for round two and sometimes three but today, he wasn't really in the mood.

"But why? Why do you have to marry her?" she asked. "Can't you just marry me and be done with it? And I don't even need the money".

"I can't" he replied cringing at the tone of her voice. She didn't have the most pleasant sounding voice.

"Why not?" she asked feeling offended.

"Because my grandfather knows your family and he hates them, besides you're not decent enough. My grandfather wants a decent girl" he replied casually.

"Oh that would be right" she giggled girlish "I could hardly be considered decent. But then again, there's always the option of divorce".

"Yes" he replied. Even though he didn't have any romantic feelings towards Yuki, he liked her enough as a person. They had been friends at one point but their different lives had got in the way and he began seeing her less and less until one day she just stopped calling. Soujirou had felt relieved; he didn't want her following him around like a lovesick puppy. He'd heard the rumor that Akira and Yuki had dated but that had been all. He hadn't seen Akira much. His friend had been away a lot of the time due to his work and Soujirou had been busy pursuing his business degree. Soujirou had asked Akira if he had been dating Yuki during one of the times that they'd caught up but the latter only smiled in reply. He didn't care anyway, it wasn't his business but it was obvious that Akira had become more secretive in the past couple of years. Soujirou was sure that it was due to his father's death and his line of work. If Akira exposed too much, his enemies might be able to use it against him. The F4 rarely saw each other now days; meeting only on important occasions, or for a drink (a few drinks in Soujirou's case). They all had their own separate lives to live. Tsukasa was the one that they all saw the least, he was the busiest of the lot; shuttling between his pregnant wife and his job.

Tsukasa had said that marriage was the best thing that had ever happened to him and Soujirou snorted at that exclamation. Yet now that he too was on the road to marriage, he began to contemplate what Tsukasa had said.

"Eh Soujirou, don't be quick to laugh. One day when you get married to the one you love; you'll know what I'm talking about" the Domyouji heir had said. But Soujirou and Yuki's case was different. He didn't love her and she appeared not to love him either so what would their marriage be like? Considering the way Yuki was now, he was sure it would involve a lot of bickering and fights.

"But why did you choose her Nishikado-san?" Reiko asked and he shrugged.

"I don't want an arranged marriage. Plus, it a win-win situation for the both of us; I need a bride and she needs money for her orphanage. Besides I don't want my grandfather and my mother to choose a wife for me, I can't think of anything worse than being married to someone that I don't know".

"It would have been much better if you were to marry me" Reiko said as she placed a hand on his chest.

"Mmm" he replied absent mindedly. Maybe marrying Reiko would have been better? Or maybe not but one thing was clear. Being married to Yuki would definitely be interesting.

* * *

**Author's note:** So now the events are slowly unfolding, Yuki has agreed to Soujirou's proposal. Yuki will meet Soujirou's family for the first time and Soujirou will meet Yuki's family for the first time too. **And for those who are kind enough to review, i'll provide a scene on the beginning of Akira and Yuki's dating period during the five years. If you are an anonymous reader, please leave your e-mail address with your review so that i can e-mail your scene to you.**


	3. Souji and Yuki

Disclaimer: I don't own anything unfortunately...

**Chapter 3**

Yuki was not in the best of moods at the moment. She hadn't slept the previous night due to the nightmares that had plagued her. She'd woken up screaming, breaking out into cold sweat. Although now she couldn't really remember what had happened in her nightmare, she knew for a fact that it somehow involved Soujirou, the devil and her. If her memory served her right, her nightmare had been something about her selling her soul to the devil. Now that she looked at it, that was precisely what she'd done wasn't it? Except that in this case, Soujirou was the devil. She rubbed her temples with her fingers, feeling a whopper of a headache coming on. Of course it didn't help that the class of twelve year old orphans that she was teaching at the moment were causing such a ruckus. The noise was driving her insane and was doing nothing for her headache. The only consolation that she had was that it was the last period before lunch and her last lesson for the day. She could go home after she was done.

"Please do page forty six up till page fifty and when Yoshida sensei gets back from sick leave, he'll mark it" she said as she got up to the whiteboard to write down the instructions. She faced the whiteboard and took a deep breath. If she didn't, she would have exploded. "Anyone who isn't doing their work will be punished" she said sternly as she wrote her i.

"In that case I guess I'll just have to be punished _Matsuoka sensei_" called a voice from the back of the classroom and she froze. That voice, it was the voice of her nightmares. She turned around so quick that stars danced in front of her eyes. Staring back at her, seated at the center desk in the very last row at the back of the classroom was Nishikado Soujirou. He was smirking at her in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. _What the hell was is he doing here??_ She thought to herself.

"Nishikado-san, how on earth did you get in here?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I came in by the back door when you were writing on the board didn't I kids?" The kids seemed thrilled by his presence and many giggled while some looked curious.

"Yes" they answered in unison.

"Why are you here?" she asked as her face flushed with anger. He was disrupting her class and he was a distraction.

"Maybe he wants to see you Matsuoka sensei?" one of her students, Hiro suggested.

"Maybe he loves you Matsuoka sensei. OOOOOH!!!" another one, Tomoko added helpfully.

"Mister what's your name?" Hiro asked as he looked at Soujirou.

"You don't know my name?" Soujirou asked in surprise.

"Well Nishikado-san, you're not as famous as you think you are" Yuki snapped obviously irritated.

"I'm Nishikado Soujirou" he said proudly as he puffed out his chest and Yuki fought the urge to laugh out aloud.

"Nope haven't heard of you" Hiro replied abruptly.

"Matsuoka and Nishikado won't really work" Tomoko said looking thoughtful. "It's no good; we'll have to shorten it".

"I know" another student Jin exclaimed "how about Souji and Yuki?" The class broke out into chatter and even Soujirou joined in.

"I like it!" he announced and the class cheered. Some of her students went as far as to give Soujirou high fives.

"What???"

"Oh come on _Matsuoka sensei_" Soujirou said with a playful glint in his eye "the kids are just having fun".

"They're meant to be studying" she exclaimed "they're supposed to be doing their work! I've set them work to do and they…" Although what she intended to say next was drowned in the loud singing that chorused around her.

"Souji and Yuki sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G"-

"Oh for god's sake!" Yuki exclaimed as her face turned an unflattering shade of scarlet. Soujirou merely laughed and looked like he was enjoying himself at her expense.

"First comes love then comes marriage, then comes"-

"OK THAT'S ENOUGH" Yuki yelled, slamming her palm on the desk.

"Why are you getting angry Matsuoka sensei?" Hiro asked,

Yuki had never raised her voice with her students. Never. She believed more in the gentle approach to teaching. Yet now, here she was loosing her cool and it was all because of _him_.

"Because you're all supposed to be doing you're"-

"Kids, I have a very important announcement to make" Soujirou interrupted her as he got up from his seat and walked over to stand in front of Yuki.

"You can't just stand in front of me, this is my class. What are you doing Nishikado-san?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"Oh this is going to be good I can tell" Hiro said earnestly to his classmates and many nodded in agreement.

"Nishikado-san are you listening to me? What are you trying to do? These children need to finish their work!" By now Yuki was getting exasperated. Soujirou wasn't listening to her or if he was, he ignored her.

"I wanted to tell you children that your Matsuoka sensei and I are going to get married!" Soujirou exclaimed and the children burst into cheers.

"N-no we're not" Yuki said feebly.

"It's about time anyway" Tomoko added.

"Excuse me?" Yuki asked incredulously.

"No offense Matsuoka sensei" Tomoko replied "but you are getting kind of old and if this nice man is willing, you should definitely marry him".

"I agree" Hiro added "he looks like a nice man. He'll make you happy Matsuoka sensei. It's better if you marry him anway, if not you might end up an old maid".

Yuki slapped a palm to her forehead. She was going to kill _him_! How dare he disrupt her class and announce that they were going to get married. He had no right! Who was he to just waltz into her class and take control of her students?

_He's Nishikado Soujirou_ a voice in the back of her head whispered in reminder. _And because he's Nishikado Soujirou, he can do whatever the hell he wants and get away with it too_.

* * *

"A table for two" Soujirou told the waiter as they entered Café Mache for lunch. Yuki had no idea why they were having lunch together. It seemed too much like a date for her liking but he'd insisted. When she refused he threatened her, saying that he'd show up in her classes every day till she went out for lunch with him. So she had no choice.

"What are you doing?" Yuki hissed as Soujirou placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her to their table.

"I'm guiding you to our table" he replied casually.

"Well whatever it is, stop" she replied and he shrugged. "And why are we doing this again?" she asked as they flipped through the menus.

"Because my grandfather won't believe our relationship if we don't go out together" he replied simply.

"And how is he going to know?" Yuki asked raising an eyebrow.

"Look over my shoulder; do you see a man wearing aviator sunglasses?" Soujirou asked as his voice dropped a few decibels.

"Yes" she replied.

"Well that man is Himoto Micah, my grandfather's friend. He used to be in the secret service before. American secret service mind you and he's probably here because he's been sent by my grandfather to follow us".

"What? But how do you know?"

"I have my ways" Soujirou remarked, his mouth curling into a smirk. "Jjust ignore him, my grandfather isn't aware that I know about Micah and i'd like to keep it that way for now".

"This is going to make things difficult" Yuki said.

"He's been following us since we left the orphanage" Soujirou explained. "But no matter, this will just make life a little more exciting for us".

"What are you talking about? If anything it will make life"- She paused when he placed a hand over hers and gazed into her eyes. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Its all for show" he replied smiling at her.

_Of course it is,_ Yuki thought bitterly. _It's not like he would show me any affection otherwise._ _Although why should I care if he shows me affection or not? It's not as if all this is real._

* * *

It had been two days since their discovery of Micah and Yuki couldn't have been more stressed out. According to Soujirou, Micah's resources were unlimited and he could hack into any surveillance system as fast as a person could yawn. They were being watched around the clock and Yuki had to be careful not to display any sort of negative expressions towards Soujirou or she'd give them both away. He on the other hand was an excellent actor. Despite the circumstances he was cool, calm and appeared to be unfazed by Micah's indirect interference. She only wished that she had half his cool. The minute she stepped out of her apartment her resolve left her and she became a walking nervous wreck. She'd been even more of a wreck when Soujirou had told her that Micah was able to watch her movements as he'd hacked into her apartment building's surveillance system. Yuki was afraid to ask how he knew this information but he knew it nonetheless.

She pulled on a jumper and stretched out on her couch. It was six in the morning and she had to go to work in a while but in the mean time she wanted to make the best of her free time. She closed her eyes relishing the silence around her when the ringing of her door bell forced her to get up to answer the door. Who would be ringing her doorbell at six in the morning? Opening her door she was surprised to find Soujirou standing there looking somewhat agitated.

"Nishikado-san?" She asked as she took a step out into the corridor. "Is everything ok?"

He didn't reply instead he placed his hands on her shoulders and crashed his lips down on hers. She was so surprised that she stilled.

"Put your arms around my waist" he whispered into her ear. She did as he told and he pulled her closer to him, embracing her. "There's a camera watching the front door of your apartment" he whispered.

"Nishikado-san" she gasped when he pulled away, her body moaning in protest.

"I missed you" he said, his voice louder in volume than she'd heard before. _Oh right, we're being watched_ she though.

"Would you like to come in Nishikado-san?" she asked raising her voice a little and he nodded vigorously. Before she could open the door for him, he pushed past her stepping into her cozy apartment standing there expectantly.

"Don't just stand there, close the door already!" he exclaimed, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides.

She had barely shut the door when he made a beeline for her bathroom. "Nishikado-san?" she asked but he ignored her, kicking open her bathroom door. "What do you think you're doing?" she shrieked when it was clear that he hadn't intended to use the bathroom since he had caused the door to come off its hinges.

"Just be quiet for a second so I can think" he said sharply and she fell silent. He was mumbling to himself and the only words Yuki could catch were "bastard, I'll kill him if I find anything…", "unlimited….urges…stupid, stupid, stupid son of a…I'll really kill him".

"Nishikado-san is everything alright?" she asked in a softer tone.

"Everything is fine" he replied as he examined her showerhead.

"Is there something that I should know about before we get married?" she asked hesitantly.

"Like?" he asked obviously agitated.

"Like, is there a history of mental illness in your family?"

"Baka, what are you going on about?" he replied as he opened her bathroom cabinet, tossing aside boxes of sanitary pads and her other womanly accessories that made her flush an unflattering shade of scarlet.

"Are you seriously sure, everything is"-

"I already said everything is ok so stop bothering me" he snapped. She decided to wait till he finished doing whatever the hell it was that he was doing before she said anything else. In his current state, it would have been most unwise to disturb him.

"Ok" he exclaimed five minutes later, standing up straight and eyeing the disastrous mess that he'd created. Then turning to look at her he furrowed his brows in a semi frown. "Now, Yuki-chan tell me; do you change in your bedroom or your bathroom?"

"Huh?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's really simple" he said impatiently "do you change in your bathroom or in your bedroom?"

"Err…my bedroom?" she replied. "Why?"

"DAMN IT!" His curse echoed in her small bathroom and she was taken aback. "Now I'm going to have to …." More mumbling followed, accompanied by occasional glares in her direction; as if it was an offense to change in her own bedroom. "Bloody…can't just use the bathroom…" She couldn't really make out what he was saying and his erratic behavior was starting to worry her.

"Now you're going to have to what?" she asked following behind him as he threw open her bedroom door.

"Hmmm nice décor" he remarked as he spied the mountainous pile of soft toys on her bed.

"Shut up!" she snapped as her face burned with embarrassment. "Hey! What are you doing?" she exclaimed in shock as Soujirou began tossing aside her soft toys with vigor. She was too mortified to stop him, or to pick up her fallen toys.

"It's got to be here" he mumbled, ransacking the place.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed when one of the stuffed animals he had tossed landed on her head with a 'thunk'.

He immediately stopped his assault on her room and picked up the fallen toy. He wasted no time in ripping the brown bear apart, ignoring her shrieks.

"That bastard!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a small camera. "He's really in for it now, I'll bloody kill him!".

"You mean I was being watched all this time?" Yuki exclaimed and he growled in reply. Gripping the tiny gadget in his hands like a weapon he stormed out of her bedroom.

"Yuki-chan" he called suddenly just as he reached her front door.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Keep your cell phone near you at all times" he said and with that he left her apartment.

Yuki stared dumbly at her closed front door, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. "What the hell just happened?" She asked her empty house.

* * *

In actual fact last night while brushing his teeth, Soujirou had stumbled upon a rather alarming thought. If Micah was keeping tabs on Soujirou and Yuki when they were together, then it was highly possible that he was keeping tabs on them individually wasn't it? Soujirou had then wondered if Micah had been watching Yuki in the shower and that thought had propelled him to go to her apartment at six in the morning. Actually he had arrived at her apartment at five but he wasn't sure if she would be awake so he had waited till six. He hadn't been able to sleep; the mere thought of Micah watching naïve and innocent Yuki made him sick to the stomach.

Although come to think of it, there wasn't a need for him to kiss her at her doorstep. A mere hug would have sufficed but he had to go and be all territorial and kiss her in full view of the video surveillance camera. Knowing that Micah was invading Yuki's privacy made his blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to break the man into a thousand pieces and feed him to the dogs. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to act like a madman, tearing through her house the way he did. But it was the same thing that was driving him now.

He stood before the Nishikado Takeshi, seething. His breath was coming out in hot, heavy puffs and all he wanted to do was smash the old man's smile off his face. Bastard. He flung the small surveillance camera at the old man's feet.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Whatever do you mean boy?" Takeshi replied coolly.

"Did you think I was fucking stupid? Did you think I wouldn't realize that you sent your fucking lap dog to watch me? Then that asshole puts this fucking piece of shit in my fiancée's fucking bedroom! Just what the fuck are you playing at?"

"I'm just making sure that you don't hang around riff raff" Takeshi replied as he sipped his whisky.

"Yuki-chan is not riff raff and if you must know, I'm going to marry her" Soujirou roared and Takeshi's eyes flickered in surprise.

"Well boy, if you're going to marry her than you should introduce her to the family" Takeshi remarked.

"Stop trying to avoid the situation". Soujirou's fists were clenched at his side and he looked somewhat menacing but despite that, Takeshi Nishikado seemed unfazed.

"I'm not avoiding the situation. I'm merely diverting your attention away from the subject. You need to calm down before we talk about that".

"I am calm" Soujirou retorted angrily.

"Hmmm fine, if you say so. Well I'll call off Micah provided you bring the girl over for dinner next Saturday". Takeshi looked at Soujirou expectantly waiting for an answer and what came out of his grandson's mouth surprised him slightly.

"I can't do that, I have to meet her family first. It's only proper if I do" he remarked running a hand through his hair.

"Hmmm ask her to come on Sunday then". The elder Nishikado waved a hand dismissively and with a resigned snarl, Soujirou headed in the direction of the door.

"BASTARD!" he roared as he slammed the door shut leaving his grandfather staring after him with amusement.

* * *

"You may come out now Micah, the boy's gone" Takeshi called and Micah came out from his hiding place behind the curtains.

"He's really got a temper hasn't he?" Micah remarked gruffly.

"Oh you have no idea" Takeshi replied as he sipped his whisky again. "Well good work Micah. Although I underestimated the boy, I expected him to come barging in here in a couple of days. He seems to be smarter than he lets on".

"Nishikado-san, why did you want young master Nishikado to see me at the café? I'm just curious. Usually its better when people don't know that I'm following them". Micah looked at Takeshi expectantly.

"I wanted him to know that he was being followed and to see if he would make the connections. He's a lot smarter than he's given credit for. I wouldn't have believed that he hung around that girl's apartment block at five in the morning if I didn't see it with my own eyes". Takeshi chuckled with mirth, polishing off the last bit of his drink.

"He found the camera a lot faster than I thought he would" Micah agreed. "Why did you want me to put a camera in that girl's bedroom?"

"I wanted to see if he was smart enough to find it but mostly I just wanted to see his reaction" Takeshi replied with a chuckle.

"I see" Micah replied.

"He's a strange one, that boy. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was that age. Well he'll be bringing that girl next week, so I can't wait to see what unfolds" Takeshi remarked. "If you're available tomorrow Micah, I'd like you to follow the boy even though he knows of you".

"Sorry Nishikado-san but I'm not available tomorrow. It's my daughter's death anniversary" Micah replied.

"Oh I see, sorry I forgot about that. It's been a year now hasn't it?" Takeshi looked sympathetically at the man before him. Micah had lost his wife two years back and then he'd lost his only child, his daughter. Micah had nothing.

"She died last year on her twentieth birthday" Micah replied soberly and Takeshi nodded.

"How did she die if you don't mind me asking?"

"She hung herself" was the controlled answer that Micah gave Takeshi.

"It was over lost love wasn't it?" Takeshi asked soberly "I remembered hearing something about that at her funeral".

Micah didn't reply but he nodded. His daughter had hung herself after finding out that the guy she'd been dating had been cheating on her with other women. She hadn't been in the right frame of mind at the time; still grieving over the loss of her mother. The knowledge that she was merely a fling to the man she loved with a passion crushed her; unable to take life anymore, she hung herself from the tree in her backyard. Being a friend of some sort to Micah, it was only right that Takeshi attended the young woman's funeral.

The funeral was the first time that Takeshi had realized how vulnerable the human mind actually was and he'd realized then that it was better if Soujirou got married. Takeshi had already suggested it to his son Ken. But when the idea was propositioned to Soujirou he'd been quick to shoot it down and Ken done nothing else about it. It was only recently that the opportunity had surfaced and Takeshi had taken full advantage of it. It was sad that such an opportunity had risen from the ashes of his dead son but that was the way things were. Soujirou hadn't shot the idea down this time; there was far too much at stake for him.

* * *

Soujirou stomped along the pavement of the busy city streets. He was a man on a mission. Flipping open his cell phone he dialed the familiar number of Yuki's cell phone.

"Moshi, moshi, Yuki speaking". Her voice was like music to his ears. It was so sweet and melodious that he felt somewhat calmer.

"Yuki-chan, prepare your family. I'm going to your parents house next Saturday to officially ask them for your hand in marriage". He didn't give her any time to reply, he hung up. As soon as he heard the dial tone he began dialing another number.

"It's me" Soujirou said in an official tone. "I want to know everything on the Matsuoka family. Everything".

* * *

**Author's note**: Ok I know I said I was going to put in the meeting between Yuki and Soujirou's family and he and Yuki's family but it would have been too long. I know! I'm the worst aren't I? I promise i'll make it up to you with a faster update :) Also as suggested by a few of my reviewers, I thing it would be better to put in Akira/Yuki interaction within the chapter itself…so there we go!! Anyway more to come next chapter…As promised the meetings and more!! So stay tuned!! Please review and tell me what you thought…even if you don't like it please tell me anyway. I'm open to suggestions so if you have any I would gladly accept them! Take care everyone!

Huggies!


	4. Yuki's family

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Chapter 4**

"You're fucking kidding me!" were the first words out of Yuki's elder brother Ken Matsuoka's mouth when she told them about Soujirou.

"Kenji!" Her father warned as he glanced at his eldest son Sho's little daughter and Ken's son who were looking up at them innocently. "That kind of language is not permitted in this house especially when there are children around!"

"Isn't this the same Nishikado Soujirou that broke your heart years ago?" Yuki's eldest brother Sho asked. Although he wasn't openly showing his outrage like Ken, it was clear from the tone of his voice that he was not happy about it at all.

"Err…well; he's not like that anymore. He's changed" Yuki replied hastily.

"I can't believe you're telling us this now?" Ken exclaimed as he kicked the table "I don't like this". Turning to his parents who were seated calmly on the couch he exclaimed. "This guy is the biggest Casanova since- since Casanova!"

Yuki's eldest brother Sho rolled his eyes. "Stop being so melodramatic Ken" he said. Being the eldest of the three Matsuoka siblings, Sho was always calm in comparison to his hot headed younger brother. Even Yuki was a tad more irrational than him.

"Didn't this guy hurt you before? What makes you think that he's not going to hurt you again?" Sho asked.

"I-I just know" she replied feeling the bile rise in her throat. She had never lied before and now she was lying through her teeth.

"And isn't he the same baka that ran from you time and time again?" Ken asked.

"I-I…yes" she replied and he raised an eyebrow.

"So…you're getting married to the guy who repeatedly ran from you? Is that what you want your marriage to be like? How do you know he'll not go off with another woman and leave you?" Ken asked.

"Because I trust Nishikado-san" she exclaimed and looked helplessly at her two sister in laws in the corner.

"Bullshit" Ken exclaimed and he kicked the table again.

"Will you stop reacting like this?" Yuki asked

"I will react however I want!" Ken shouted "I mean how can you tell us this half an hour before the guy is supposed to arrive??"

"Actually I told everyone else three days ago" Yuki replied smugly and Ken's face turned red. By everyone she was referring to her parents, Sho and his wife Miki and Ken's wife Akiko.

"And you didn't tell me?" he exploded.

"It's because I knew how you would react that why I didn't tell you sooner!" she exclaimed.

"She's got a point there Ken" Sho added "I mean you are over reacting quite a bit".

"And you're ok with this?" Ken asked looking at his parents and his brother.

"I may not like it but if this is Yuki's decision then there is nothing we can do to stop her. She's a grown woman who can make her own decisions now, she has to live by her own choices" Kyu Matsuoka said with some finality.

"And you?" Ken's eyes flashed as they gazed upon Sho. "You're ok with this too?"

"No, not really but I agree with papa. It is ultimately Yuki's decision and if Nishikado-san is who she chooses then so be it" Sho replied and Ken stared at his brother in disbelief.

"This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed.

"No you're being ridiculous" Yuki shot back.

"I'm not being ridiculous; you're too young to get married!"

"Excuse me? You got married when two years younger than I am now in case you've forgotten" she exclaimed.

"Well that's because I'm more mature than you and I can handle it!"

"You? HAH! Don't make me laugh; you're the least mature person I know, hello? Look at the way you're acting now".

"Well I didn't marry someone who ran from me every time I went near them" he shot back.

"I'm sure nee chan would have run away from you if she could! Especially since you're such a self centered piece of"-

"I think I know the reason why you're in a hurry to get married, you're pregnant aren't you?"

"WHAT?? ARE YOU CRAZY? Of course I'm not pregnant"

"Then why are you in such a hurry?"

"It's none of your"-

"ENOUGH!" Sho shouted. As the eldest, he stepped up to the plate. It didn't look like his parents were going to intervene any time soon. They usually let Ken and Yuki argue until they got tired of arguing. Sho usually did the intervening, if his parents were not going to do it then somebody had to right? Besides, he was not in the mood to hear their mindless bickering. He'd had a hard day at the hospital that he worked at as a doctor. Sho had been busy fighting against the officials of the health system to get rid of filling up forms before the doctor could be seen by the patient. If a patient was dying, the time spent filling up the form could be crucial in saving the patients life. "For goodness sake the two of you are going to give me a headache! Now listen, Nishikado-san will be here shortly and is this the kind of impression that you want him to have of us?"

"I don't care I"- Ken began but was cut off by his brother.

"I don't care if you don't care Ken, just because we don't like him doesn't give us the right to be rude. Whatever it is, remember Yuki has made her choice and you should respect it. I don't expect you to be nice to Nishikado-san but the least you could do is to be civil" Sho told his brother sternly.

Yuki's father nudged his wife and leant in to whisper into her ear. "See I told you that there was no need for us to interfere, Sho always does our job for us".

Ken gave a resigned sigh and his shoulders slumped. "Is this what you really want?" he asked softly as he approached his sister.

"Yes" she replied and she felt her heart deflate with her lie.

"What about Akira Kun? He loves you! And didn't you love him too?" he asked softly.

"I-I don't know" Yuki replied.

"Fine, then I won't push it anymore, I just don't want to have to say I told you so" he said looking at her seriously.

"And you won't have to" she replied firmly, as if trying to convince herself. Sho's wife Miki gave her a thumbs up while Ken's wife Akiko smiled.

Yuki sighed, the battle had been won but the war had yet to be over. Soujirou was due to arrive any minute now and her heart contracted in anticipation. She hoped to god that her family would treat him politely. She walked over to the window and pulled aside the curtain. Where was he?

"Waiting for Nishikado-san?" Akiko asked walking over to her with her ten month old daughter Azusa in her arms.

"Something like that" Yuki replied when in actual fact, she was trying to come to terms with what a lying cheat she was.

"Don't worry he'll be here soon I'm sure" Akiko said kindly as she readjusted Azusa in her arms.

"Want me to take her from you?" Yuki asked as she noticed her sister in law struggling slightly.

"Oh yes please" Akiko sighed gratefully.

"She's growing up so fast" Yuki remarked thoughtfully as she cooed at her niece. Azusa gurgled happily and gripped one of Yuki's fingers in her chubby hands.

"Very soon, you'll be having one of your own too you know?" Akiko remarked and Yuki choked.

Kids? With Soujirou? HAH! As if! She couldn't see him as being the fatherly type. He was too self centered to be a father. He was more concerned about the state of his hair than the state of affairs. Her thoughts trailed off when the doorbell echoed throughout her parents' house.

"He's here" Yuki whispered.

"Go and get the door Yuki" Kyu Matsuoka told his daughter.

"We should act stern papa" Ken advised looking at his father and brother.

"You're right" Sho agreed "we should show him whose boss".

"No matter what, be stern and don't show him any emotion. We don't want to give in too easily" Ken commanded.

"Yes, I agree with you both" Kyu Matsuoka said crossing his arms, waiting for his future son in law to arrive.

Yuki tottered off towards the door with baby Azusa in her arms. Taking a deep breath, she used one hand and opened the door to reveal an impeccably dressed Soujirou. He was wearing an Armani suit and he smiled as soon as he saw her. There was even a spark of tenderness in his eyes that Yuki had only seen when he had talked about Sara.

"You're a good actor aren't you" she whispered to him out of the corner of her mouth.

"Who said this was all acting?" he whispered back with a wink.

"Stop teasing me Nishikado san" she hissed sternly.

"By the way Yuki chan, I'm your fiancé now so I think it would be better that you call me Soujirou" he remarked.

"Fine" she replied looking disgruntled. "Soujirou san would you like to come in so I can introduce you to my charming family?" she asked with fake sweetness.

"Yes my dear Yuki chan" he replied in a sugary syrupy tone that rivaled hers.

"Mama, Papa" Yuki exclaimed pushing past Soujirou "this is Nishikado Soujirou". Then turning to Soujirou she said "Nishi- Soujirou san, these are my parents"-

"Matsuoka Kyu san and Matsuoka Eri san right? Although at first when I saw you Eri san I thought you might have been Yuki chan's sister" Soujirou interrupted. "Yuki chan has told me so much about you".

Yuki blinked dumbly "err…I have?" she asked looking at him in confusion.

Yuki's mother blushed "what has she told you Nishikado san?" she asked shyly. Soujirou smiled, she was totally lapping it up.

"I was told of your legendary culinary skills, okaasan. I've heard you make the best cream puffs" Soujirou flattered.

"And what has Yuki told you about me?" Kyu Matsuoka added, trying not to look interested.

"Ahem" Ken cleared his throat and his father's face went back to a mask of stoic display.

"Yuki has told me that you're a bit of a judo enthusiast and that you've got a black belt in Judo, Karate, Aikido and Tae Kwon Do" Soujirou added with amazement.

"Hmmm" Kyu replied, his mask never wavering.

"I wish I could be like you but I've only got my black belts in Judo, Karate and Tae Kwon Do" Soujirou added.

Kyu blinked at Soujirou "you mean you're interested in martial arts as well?" he asked. His face shone with interest.

"Father" Ken warned but Kyu ignored his son.

"So how old were you when you got your black belts?" Kyu asked.

"I was nine when I got my black belt for Karate and ten when i got my Tae Kwon Do black belt"-

"Nine? Wow you were so young and you got your black belt then?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes" Soujirou replied with a smile and Yuki felt the bile rise in her throat at how sickly sweet he sounded.

"That's amazing" Yuki's father burst out and Ken slapped a palm to his forehead. The old man had forgotten. Ken glanced to his side and noted that at least Sho still seemed to keep to their agreement. His parents on the other hand had crossed over to the dark side, to join Nishikado Soujirou.

"Not really" Soujirou replied waving a hand modestly.

"Come, come and meet my sons" Kyu said ushering Soujirou into the modest living room. Sho and Ken stood trying to look as intimidating as possible but it was no easy feat considering who they were up against.

Soujirou didn't back down. "Ah you must be Yuki chan's brothers, Matsuoka Sho san and Matsuoka Kenji san yes?"

"Hmmm" both boys replied back in unison and Yuki began to feel the worry settle in her stomach. Her parents were easy for Soujirou to win over but her brothers were an entirely different chapter. Soujirou was going to have problems.

* * *

"So the boy has actually gone to meet her parents?" Takeshi Nishikado asked his trusted Micah as they had tea in the living room.

"Yes, they seem like decent enough people. Although it wouldn't be wise to cross Yuki chan's father. He's somewhat of a martial arts expert" Micah added helpfully.

"What does her family do?" Takeshi asked. He was now intrigued. He had wondered for a long time who Soujirou would pick and for his grandson to choose Yuki, there must have been something about her.

"Her father has two companies set up and he's opened a dojo near their house recently. Her mother was a teacher but has retired from the profession for a few years now. Her eldest brother Sho has a business degree and an accounting degree and seems to be in line to take over the companies from her father. Her youngest brother Kenji a graduate from the elite Tokyo University is an editor for the local paper".

"Hmm" Takeshi let out after a while. "It seems as though the boy has chosen well. Her family seems to be from an alright background. But I think the boy has to watch his back though, her family seems capable in decapitating him".

"Nishikado san, is there anything else you'd like me to do?" Micah asked as he bowed his head dutifully.

"Not really. I just want you to follow them around once in a while; I'm giving you some time off so that you can visit your daughter's gravesite today. Wait actually there is something that I need you to do. Bring me all the articles written by Kenji Matsuoka, he sounds like an interesting fellow" Takeshi boomed and Micah nodded his head.

"Yes Nishikado san" Micah replied.

"I wonder how the boy's doing" Takeshi thought with a chuckle as he imagined Soujirou being strangled by the Matsuoka men.

* * *

Soujirou had never been more uncomfortable in his entire life. He was the one that cause others discomfort. Not the other way around. He used to people fearing him and usually he was given whatever he wanted because he was a Nishikado. But this? This was something else. The way Sho and Ken Matsuoka were eyeing him made him feel like he was a criminal. He had come with a game plan prepared but nothing was going according to plan. Sho and Ken should have been eating out of his palm by now but instead they were seated across from him, staring at him like he'd kicked their cat and then stoned it to death.

"Have you met my daughters in law?" Kyu Matsuoka asked gesturing to the two women seated beside Yuki's brothers.

"No Matsuoka san I don't think I have" Soujirou replied flashing them his heart melting smile.

"This is Sho's wife Miki and this is Ken's wife Akiko" Kyu introduced and both women smiled back pleasantly, bowing their heads slightly.

"Nice to meet you".

"And these" Kyu Matsuoka announced as two children toddled into the room "are my grandchildren. This little girl here is Niji Matsuoka, she's Sho's daughter. She's four years old and this is Ken's four year old son Ryun. Baby Azusa is Ken's second child" Kyu Matsuoka said as he pointed to a sleeping baby Azusa in Yuki's arms.

Soujirou had to admit, Yuki's nieces and nephews were cute. But he couldn't help but stare at the way Yuki handled baby Azusa in her arms. She had a spark of tenderness in her eyes and there was something about the way she cooed over baby Azusa that made Soujirou think that she would be a great mother to their kids. He halted his thinking and sat up straight. What the hell was he thinking? If he had his way, they'd be divorced within a year. There was definitely no time for him to even think about kids with Yuki. But this was something he had to keep to himself because if his mother and grandfather heard that they'd be none to pleased. He saw Sho and Ken eyeing him in a way that was most unfriendly and he decided that he'd have to win them over somehow if he wanted to marry Yuki.

"The other day I sent my grandfather to the hospital and they made me fill up a form before the doctor could see him. Apparently it's the hospital regulations. I mean just imagine if a person is dying and then their loved one or someone had to fill up a form before they're seen by a doctor. Don't you think that the time spent filling up a form could save the patient's life?" Soujirou exclaimed giving a frustrated sigh.

Sho leant forward, his eyes wide and alert in interest. "Exactly" he exclaimed surprising everyone especially Ken. "That's what I've been trying to say for so long and no one's been listening to me. One patient died the other day because we were too late to give him shock treatment. I mean if we had just a few more minutes, he would have been saved".

"I know what you mean. Every life is precious, we should do whatever we can to save lives" Soujirou added sympathetically and Yuki felt like throwing up. Since when was he so interested in this type of stuff?

"Nishikado san, I wasn't aware that you we interested in the health system" Sho said conversationally.

"Please call me Soujirou. Actually Matsuoka san, my brother was a doctor so I have had no choice but to hear about the health system over and over again".

"Oh I see Soujirou Kun; maybe it's better if you don't call me Matsuoka san. I mean there are three of us Matsuoka men so it might get confusing. There's no need to be so formal, we're practically going to be brothers ne?" Sho remarked startling Yuki.

"Hai Onii san" Soujirou replied back with a grin. Yes! He thought to himself. One down and one more to go! Ken snorted sarcastically. It didn't seem like he would succumb to Soujirou's charm as easily as his brother did.

"I read your article in the paper about the corrupt real estate agents and I must say I found it very interesting" Soujirou remarked.

"Oh uh yes" Yuki jumped in trying to act as a buffer. "Nii chan wanted to buy a house a few months ago but he was cheated by the real estate agents. Instead of giving him a house in pristine condition like they promised, the house was badly run down and was falling apart. It hardly a place to raise children so now Nii chan has to wait for it to be renovated before he and Nee chan can move in".

"Hai, and until then we're staying at a rented property a street away" Akiko replied.

"I see, it must be terrible for you. We were once cheated like that so I can only imagine what you must be going through" Soujirou remarked. Ken didn't even bat an eyelid.

"Soujirou kun" Kyu Matsuoka said suddenly. "May I speak to you in private for a moment?"

"Hai" Soujirou replied and although he didn't show it, he wasn't feeling so confident anymore.

"Maybe papa is secretly going to give him a good bashing, oh I hope he does that" Ken whispered to Sho who shushed him.

"Don't worry" Yuki whispered to him "I don't think my father will do something like that, or at least I think so".

Soujirou followed Kyu Matsuoka into a large bare room that contained only cupboards of trophies, plaques and various awards. There were certificates on the wall that Soujirou noticed belonged to the members of the Matsuoka family.

"Are you looking at the awards?" Kyu Matsuoka asked. "They mostly Tae Kwon Do awards and Judo awards that the boys and I have won" he remarked casually.

"Uh Matsuoka san didn't you want to talk to me about something?" he asked trying to change the subject. If only he had known what lay in store for him, he would have delayed the conversation a bit more.

"Did you think I was going to hand over my only daughter that easily?" he exclaimed and Soujirou blinked.

"I don't understand" Soujirou remarked.

"Yuki is my only daughter and the man that marries he has to be worthy of her" Kyu Matsuoka replied. "For that I have one condition for you to fulfill before you can marry my daughter".

"What do you want me to do?"

"Well let's have a Tae Kwon Do sparring contest?" Kyu Matsuoka proposed and Soujirou looked flabbergasted.

"Eh?"

"If you win me, I'll give you my full blessings to marry Yuki. But if you lose, you have to leave Yuki and never see her again. Not even as friends". Kyu Matsuoka looked at him expectantly.

Soujirou wondered briefly if it was even worth going through all this trouble just to marry Yuki. He wouldn't have minded not marrying Yuki but he couldn't bear the thought of not being able to see her as friends. It was true that he hadn't seen her for five years but he had thought about her often during those five years. He had wondered how she was, where she was. He wasn't about to let her go now, especially since he'd just gotten her back.

"What say you eh?" Kyu Matsuoka challenged.

"I'll do it" Soujirou announced with some finality as he shrugged of the coat from his Armani suit. Loosening his tie, he prepared himself for what was to come. It was going to be hard to defeat Kyu Matsuoka. According to his information, Kyu Matsuoka was martial arts extraordinaire. He still participated in tournaments when he wasn't busy with his business and he even trained his nephew to become Japan's Judo champion. Oh this was not going to be easy at all. In fact, if Soujirou came out alive he would make an offering to the gods.

"Are you ready?" Kyu Matsuoka asked as he clenched his fists in a guarding block.

No, he wasn't ready. But Soujirou didn't have a choice. He had to do this if he ever wanted to so much look at Yuki again.

"Yes I'm ready" Soujirou replied as his face hardened into a mask of determination. When in actual fact all he wanted to do was run from the room.

* * *

"What are they doing in there?" Yuki asked as she paced up and down the front garden. Her mother had insisted on having tea in the garden with the rest of the family while her husband and Soujirou did whatever it was that they were doing. She had a vague idea what her husband had in store for her future son in law but Eri Matsuoka was not about to worry her daughter further.

"Don't worry I'm sure everything's alright" Sho's wife Miki soothed.

"But they've been in there for almost an hour already" Yuki replied as her face etched itself into a frown.

"Just sit down Yuki, you're giving me a headache" Ken exclaimed rubbing his temples.

"I'm sure they'll be out soon" Sho said kindly and Yuki plopped herself down next to her brother. He stroked her hair fondly, in that brotherly fashion of his that always seemed to calm her down.

"I hope papa isn't doing anything bad to Nishika- I mean Soujirou san" she corrected when she realized that her family was looking at her.

"He'll be ok" Akiko comforted.

"No, it's been far too long already. I'm going in" Yuki announced and she got up from her seat.

Before she could reach the door, it opened to reveal a triumphant looking Kyu Matsuoka supporting a beaten up Soujirou.

"Soujirou san!" Yuki exclaimed when Soujirou stumbled forward. "Are you alright?"

He held up a hand as if to shush her "I'm fine Yuki chan" he groaned and after bidding everyone goodnight he limped of in the direction of his car.

"What happened?" she asked her father.

"Oh nothing Yuki, don't worry about him. He'll be fine in a few days or a few weeks, depending on how bad his injuries are" Kyu Matsuoka replied as Ken snorted with laughter.

"But why?" was all that Yuki could ask.

"I just challenged him to a sparring contest. I told him that if he won, he'd have our blessings to marry you but if he lost, he could never see you again. I would have let him marry you either way but I just wanted to see what the boy would do. He fought. He knew that the chances of him beating me were slim but he did it anyway. He did it for you, Yuki".

"Rubbish, he did it for himself" she replied.

"No, he did it for you. If you had seen the way he fought, you would have realized. It was like a desperate man fighting for something as if his life depended upon it. You have my full blessings to marry him" Kyu Matsuoka exclaimed causing Ken to look like someone had slapped him.

"You'd better go after him and see if he's ok" Akiko advised.

"Yes, now would be the best time to comfort him" Miki remarked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Yuki looked to her parents for the green light. "Go" her father said and she shot off after him.

* * *

Soujirou had never been so humiliated in his entire life. He had just been beaten by a fifty something year old man. He should have just left instead of fighting for Yuki, but he couldn't. He could just let her disappear from his life totally like she'd done before. He needed a drink. Badly. Which is why he was currently sitting in a deserted bar, knocking down his fifth whisky shot with Yuki watching him through those almond eyes of hers. He wasn't exactly sure why she was there with him but she'd refused to leave him so he had no other choice but to let her stay. He ignored her for most part focusing only on the burning of the cool liquid down his throat.

"Nishikado san that is enough" Yuki said stopping him just before he could knock back another glass.

"No it's not enough" he slurred.

"You've had too much to drink already" she said and took his shot glass from him and set it down on the bar top.

"Leave me alone Yuki chan"

"Come on, lets get you home" she said "we have to meet your family tomorrow and you need to get some rest".

"I don't need rest" he exclaimed a while later when they reached his car.

"Give me your keys, I'll drive" she said and when he didn't, she rifled through his pockets.

Yuki glanced at Soujirou as he slept, leaning his head against the glass of the car's window. Looking at him now, no one would think he was the heir to one of the largest fortunes in Japan. He now looked like a pathetic excuse for a man. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him when she saw his split lip and the bruise on his cheek. She wondered why he decided to spar with her father; he probably had something to gain from it. Then her father's words rang in her ears. _He did it for you_. There was no way that he would have done something like that for her. He was too self centered.

"I did it for you Yuki chan" he slurred and Yuki looked over at him. His eyes were shut but he was mumbling in his sleep. "I did it for you. If I didn't, I'd never see you again".

Her heart lifted in hope. Did he really do it for her? Or did he do it because he had something to gain for himself? She couldn't understand him. But now wasn't the time to get her hopes up. She had been a fool for giving herself false hope the last time and now she would be a bigger fool again for doing it a second time.

"I'm sorry" Soujirou exclaimed in sleep all of a sudden. "I didn't mean to hurt you".

Yuki closed her eyes and forced herself to harden her heart. It would do her no good to get hurt again. Plus, she had to be tough. She was going to meet Soujirou's parents in fifteen hours.

**

* * *

**

**Author's note:** Hello me lovelies! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this for a while…I've had so much trouble with this that it's not funny…Even with this chapter I struggled with it and re wrote it a good twelve times…and I'm still not happy with it…but anyway if you want to read it please do and if you don't then I'm not going to worry about it. Take care lovelies and I do hope you leave me reviews to let me know of your suggestions so that I can improve…and if you want anything specific to happen in the next chapter please review and let me know too…thanks!!


	5. Important

This is a general author's post that I will be posting in all my stories…I've recently been introduced to livejournal and I have been thinking about posting my stories up on livejournal because I would like to have everything that I've written in one place, and not scattered all over the place …and I'll also be doing stories that center around my original characters in some of my fics. For example I will do separate stories for Orion, Maya, Harlan and Terry from my Family man fan fiction piece.

I will also be posting up my original works up but for that I need a place. If anyone who is livejournal savy and is educated in its ways please let me know because I desperately need help with working it out. I've been deciding between livejournal and blogspot for a while now so please let me know if you would be interested in reading my stuff if I post them up on either livejournal or blogspot…and please let me know which one you'd prefer cause I can't seen to make the choice… The stories I would be posting would be:

**HARRY POTTER**

-Meeting the son-in-law

-Save the Dragons for goodness sake

**HANA YORI DANGO**

-Suki Yuki

-All I need

**SMALLVILLE**

-The family man

**BOYS BEFORE FLOWERS**

-Yi Jung's family

-Yi Jung's (in)sane family

And as for my original works, I will be posting one that I have been writing for a while now called As the cherry blossoms bloom.

**ORIGINAL WORKS**

**AS THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS BLOOM**

Akira Mimura is a half Japanese, half Eurasian girl. Her father was disowned by his wealthy plutocrat family when he chose to marry Akira's mother, Kendra Williamson, whom he'd met whilst studying in University in Melbourne Australia. Akira's parents in a futile attempt to reconcile with her paternal grandparents, take a trip to Japan. There in Japan, the then five year old Akira befriends a boys she meets in a playground and they vow to meet again, giving each other a little token to remember each other by. Unfortunately fate is such that they don't meet until eighteen years later. But life is complicated for the pair and neither realize that they've met before. Obstacles get in the way for the pair and it's still uncertain if they will fight the barriers keeping them apart or lose their true love forever.

**LOST IN SEOUL**

Sasha Mason has finally done it. She's made the move to Korea to be with her fiancé Matthew James who is a film producer. Throwing caution to the wind, she heads to Korea landing a job as an English teacher. Unfortunately due to unforeseen tragic circumstances Sasha soon finds herself alone in Korea with no home, no job and no knowledge of the Korean language. Just when she thinks that life is hopeless, the last person she expects, come to her aid. Sasha learns that sometimes life deals you with troubles so that when you overcome them you'll understand the true meaning of happiness. Follow Sasha along on a journey of life, love, friendship and self discovery as she attempts to survive in a world that she barely knows.

Well what do you think? I'll also be posting up new stories that I have ideas for. So review this post and let me know if you'd rather I continue on fanfiction and post up my originals on my blog or if you'd rather I post everything on my blog. And which you prefer too, livejournal or .

Thanks guys,

Sheen


End file.
